Technical Field
The technical field is generally the inventory control of physical assets, and more particularly, to systems and methods for detecting the location of physical assets.
Background Discussion
Current data center management systems enable users to track virtual information relating to devices in a data center. Virtual information may include a device's IP address, MAC address, serial number, etc. Devices may be moved to different locations in a data center. If a device sends a message indicating a power or cooling error, a user may be required to manually fix or replace the device or associated power or cooling equipment. If the device has been moved to a different location in a data center, it may take time to locate the malfunctioning device.
Some applications exist that display a virtual map of a data center. These applications use locations of devices that have been previously entered to show where a device should be located. However, if a device is moved from one location to another or switched with another device, the map becomes outdated and shows wrong information. Some device tracking systems use RFID tags that require users to manually create an inventory of items and then track the movement of the RFID device.